Chapter Thirty Nine

A ripple of excitement fluttered through Jenn’s stomach as she stood in her closet wrapped only in a towel. Rapidly scanning her clothes hanging neatly from the rails, she blew out a quick breath. Until Jon had invited her over to his apartment she hadn’t realised that she was yet to set foot outside the farm without being on some kind of work assignment. She most definitely hadn’t seen the lights of New York at night up close and the thoughts of experiencing something new even if it was just Jon’s place had her feeling invigorated.

Grabbing her favourite pair of dark denim jeans, she flicked a deep purple halter neck off it’s hanger and headed back into the bedroom to finish dressing. Ten minutes later she was just applying a final smoky hint of eye shadow when the buzzer of the gate intercom sounded loudly from the hall. A quick spritz of perfume completed the transformation from grubby farm girl to a somewhat more sophisticated form of herself that she hadn’t seen in quite a while. After she had hit the gate opener, she gave herself a final once over in the hall mirror as she waited for the car. Running her hands through her hair to break up the gentle waves in it, she was pleased with her overall appearance as she grabbed her purse and coat and stepped into a pair of nude kitten heels. A smart black town car with tinted windows had pulled up outside and a smiling smartly dressed chauffeur stood waiting for her with the nearside passenger door open.

“Good evening Ms. O’Neill! I‘m Bob, Mr. Bongiovi’s personal driver.”

Jenn blushed and smiled nervously at him. “Hi Bob! Nice to meet you!” She shook Bob’s hand that he was proffering before sliding into the back seat. “Thanks for waiting!”

“My pleasure ma’am!”

Settling herself back in the seat as Bob shut her door and moved back into the driver’s seat, Jenn blew out a deep breath as she found her fingers were actually trembling. Her excitement was turning into nervousness as it hit her that for the first time she was delving into Jon’s world. Beginning to feel like a fish out of water, she was grateful for the easy conversation with Bob as he drove them smoothly across the state line and into the city. Crossing the river, he pointed out buildings of interest on the skyline in between telling her about his time spent working for Jon. Gazing out the window as the car edged between lines of honking yellow cabs and determined looking shoppers, her eyes eagerly took in the towering skyscrapers and glittering shop fronts. She really needed to make time for a shopping trip with such a fabulous city sitting on her doorstep.

In no time at all, Bob was helping her step out onto the pavement in front of Jon’s building. Wishing her a good evening after he guided her to the door, he left her in the company of the doorman, another pleasant older man who ushered her to the elevator and with a warm smile sent her on the way up to Jon’s floor. As it silently glided up the levels, Jenn nervously checked her reflection in the shining panels. With a gentle ping, the doors slid open to an airy space revealing a large door with an intercom set into the wall beside it. The click of her heels echoed loudly as she crossed over, preparing to press the button when the door swung inwards and a pair of smiling blue eyes met her own.

“Hey gorgeous!”

Jon beamed widely and pulled her into his arms, nuzzling her hair as he encircled her with a hug. His familiar comforting smell instantly quelled the anxious knot in Jenn’s stomach as she tipped her face to his to receive the most delicious kiss tinged with the husky taste of malted whiskey.

“Hey yourself.” She ran her fingers inside his shirt feeling the smooth contours of his back dip away under the belt of his jeans. Butterflies swirled in her belly and her core tingled with desire as she felt his fingers gently knead the base of her neck.

“Christ baby, you look hot!” Jon whispered hoarsely as he reluctantly pulled himself away from her to take a better look.

Blushing slightly, Jenn smiled and bit her lip, hooking a finger into the loops of his jeans to stop him getting too far from her. “Thanks……so does this mean I get to come in then?”

Laughing loudly, Jon shook his head in amusement. “Shit, sorry baby. I got kinda carried away there!” Standing aside, he gestured for her to enter the apartment ahead of him. “This way ma’am!”

Jenn wandered in front of him, guided by the feel of his hands on her hips as he walked them through to a huge open living space, leather recliners and couches formed the centrepieces but by far the most breathtaking were the floor to ceiling windows that looked out onto the city. A natural looking electric fireplace split the glass in the centre, in which a cosy fire glowed brightly. Across the room, a dark stained wood staircase wound it’s way up to another floor while doorways beyond concealed more rooms. Retro lights cast soft shadows across the floor in the fading natural light with deep pile rugs adding a luxurious feel to the wooden floor.

“Wow Jon! This place is amazing!” Jenn was wide eyed as she took in the finer details of the space they were standing in, for all the world they could have been in the grandest hotel suite in the city.

Jon’s breath was warm on the back of her neck as he wrapped his arms around her waist, squeezing gently. “Yeah, it does it’s job I suppose!”

“You suppose?!” Twisting to give him an unbelieving look, she shook her head in amazement. “And here I thought my little house was neat - you’ve been slumming it with me!”

Jon gave her a little smirk as he moved to take her coat and purse from her. “Baby, I’d slum it anywhere with you!”

She swatted him playfully on the shoulder before she wandered further into the room, hands on her hips as she took in the family photos on the walls interspersed with some abstract art. Most of the frames were professional portraits of his kids while some were obviously family photographs capturing moments of vacations and school plays. One in particular stood apart from the others both in size and emotion. It captured the whole family nestled together on a couch, Jon and Dorothea in the centre, Steph curled beside her father with her arm around one of her brothers, her other brother slouching happily beside Dorothea and the youngest, still a baby when the picture had been taken, sleeping peacefully in his mother’s arms. Jenn’s gaze lingered upon the two adults in the photo a while longer. Jon looked fresh and happy, his left arm draped around Dorothea’s shoulders while she herself smiled contentedly at the camera. The whole picture encompassed the perfect family and the perfect lifestyle.

A touch at her shoulder brought Jenn from her thoughts and she turned to accept the glass of wine Jon had poured her.“That’s a beautiful picture Jon.”, she smiled gently at him as he looked to the frame she was referring to. “You have a wonderful family.”

“Yeah.” His face clouded over briefly, his blue eyes taking on a hint of sadness. “That was a good day…”

Squeezing his hand, Jenn silently kicked herself for stirring up what were obviously good memories gone bad. “I’m sorry…”

With a rueful shake of his head, Jon turned to her. “Don’t ever be sorry baby!” Pulling her into his arms, he gently kissed her forehead. “My life has gotten a whole lot better since you came into it.”

Setting her glass down on a little table beside them, Jenn stole a kiss of her own, cupping the sides of his face with her hands. A slight rise of stubble was forming on his face that tickled her as she placed feather like kisses from his chin down to his Adam’s apple. A groan escaped Jon as he arched his head backwards allowing her access to the chords of his neck as she slowly slid her hands across his shoulders, gently kneading the taut muscles.

“God that feels good!” Moving his hands down to cup her ass, he did some kneading of his own, a wicked grin stealing across his face. “Here’s something else that feels damn good!”

Giggling, Jenn wiggled her ass under his grip, “That’s what years of spending everyday in the saddle does for your ass, you should try it sometime!”

Spanking her lightly on her backside, Jon smirked, “I think you already know there’s nothing wrong with my ass baby! In fact I’ve been told there’s been many a discussion had about my rear end!”

“Oh I don’t doubt that for a second!” Twirling away from him, she picked up her glass to take a sip and looked him up and down. In black jeans that hugged him in all the right places and a light blue shirt that showed off his broad chest he certainly wasn’t a sight for sore eyes.

“Well I don’t know about you but I sure could do with having some fun tonight - got any suggestions Mr. Rock Star?”

Shoving his hands in his pockets, an impish grin lit up Jon’s face.

“Wanna go dancing?”